January 2012 a fundraising was held for Jamila, a cancer patient of 8 years old whom I had met in the previous year (2011) in the IPO hospital of Lisbon. Her treatment was temporarily suspended but she didn’t have a bed ready for her at home.

Her young mother explains “I live in a shantytown of Setubal, about 50 km south of Lisbon”, “My house simply isn’t equipped for taking care of a cancer patient in recuparation and that’s why she got ill again”.

Her husband is unemployed and trying to get a new job because they don’t get any social security income. She herself used to have a partime job of housecleaning, but because of the strain taking care of her daughter she could not hold on to that job. I asked her how she manages to survive. She responds “I don’t know myself but we ‘re living off the food we receive from the church”

With the receipts of the fundraising a new bed was bought for Jamila at IKEA in Portugal. Frans Huizer, living parttime in Portugal, coordinated everything. Truely a great job! Besides the bed also bedsheets were delivered in Setubal. The patients remaining in the IPO of Lisbon were given clothing, toys & cuddly bears and food.